


Tales from Republic City

by argent-aria (argentaria)



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:11:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3030002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentaria/pseuds/argent-aria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of post-finale drabbles exploring Asami and Korra's relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waterbenders derive their power from the moon.

Asami shimmered under the night, if you could call it that. There wasn’t really a day or a night in the spirit world, Korra mused to herself, as Asami gazed with rapt fascination at the shimmering multicolored lights that made up the sky.

“This place...” She breathed, turning back to face the shorter woman, “Is it always this beautiful?”

“Not as beautiful as you.” Korra's moved independent of her brain, face now flushed red. She could stop a giant spirit weapon from wrecking Republic City, but she still couldn’t control her mouth around the raven-haired woman. Rubbing the back of her head with her free hand, she turned towards Asami, grinning sheepishly at the beaming woman besides her. “Uhh, it depends on the people in it? Their emotions shape their perspective of the world as well as their own form. Some places match up to the real world, others are completely unrecognizable.”

“Is that why you’re glowing?” Opening and closing her mouth out of shock, Korra struggled to respond as Asami tugged her forwards down the path.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, a feeling they hadn’t been able to share for the past two years, slowly meandering along the ever shifting path, hands entwined in one another. Spirits flew around them, curious as to the newfound visitors from the physical realm. Their curiosity was only matched by Asami’s and Korra soon found herself laughing as Asami chased after a particularly adorable dragonfly bunny.

“You know… There are a ton of those around Air Temple Island.” Korra wheezed as Asami huffed and gazed forlornly at the fast retreating bunny. “You could just ‘adopt’ one of those.”

“I know…” Asami pouted for a moment before turning to grin at the Avatar. “But I just wanted to chase it for a while, let loose a little after...”

Taking Asami’s hand into her own, Korra ran circles around the back of Asami’s hand with her thumb as she settled herself against the taller woman. “I understand.”

“Thank you.” Hazel eyes turned to look into aqua blue ones as the pair drank in the ensuing silence. Korra broke the gaze, turning away with a soft blush.

“We should set up camp for the night.” She said with a softness that Asami was unaccustomed to, turning back towards Asami with a lopsided smile.

The moon slowly shimmered into place as the two worked to clear a campsite and get a fire going. Korra plopped herself onto the ground as she lazily sparked a fire into existence, setting onto her back to gaze up at the night sky. Asami dropped down to sit besides her, once again taking her hand in her own.

“How long do you think it’ll take before they realize we’re missing.” Asami whispered, turning to grin roguishly down at Korra.

“Knowing Tenzin… A few hours.” Korra groaned, grimacing before springing back up to a sitting position. “But you know what? We deserve this break!”

“I do think you’ve fulfilled your Avatar duties to a tee this time around.” Laughing, Asami leaned against the tanned Avatar, staring into the flickering flames of their campfire.

“You know…” The words trailed off her lips.

“Hmmm?” Korra turned from the fire towards the taller woman, curiosity filling her eyes. “What’s up?”

“We could stay here… Forever… If we wanted to.” The flames flickered in her eyes. “Just you and me, not another worry in the world.”

“We could.” Korra reached over, securing Asami’s hand in her own, “But you’d get so bored, not needing to argue with your board of directors or whatever is involved in running Future Industries.”

Asami snorted at that remark as Korra continued.

“And you’d miss everyone else, Bolin, Mako, Tenzin, Pema… Maybe even Varrick.” Korra laughed at the disgusted face Asami made in her direction, “Admit it, you like a little competition.”

“I suppose I could put up with him for old time’s sake.” She grudgingly admitted. “I couldn’t keep you here all to myself anyways. The world needs its Avatar just as much as I need her.”

Korra fell silent at that, leaning back and staring thoughtfully up at the sky.

“Back there, at Varrick’s wedding.” She started, hesitating over the words.

“What about it?”

“Well… You said you wouldn’t know what to do if you lost me too.”

“I still wouldn’t.” She confirmed, resting her head against a wiry shoulder. “I don’t know if I ever will know.”

“I- There’s something I need to get off my chest. I don’t even know if it needs saying… No, I’m pretty sure it does regardless.” Korra chewed her bottom lip as Asami expectantly waited. “You know I’m terrible with words… I’m more of the ‘kick the door down’ rather than ‘think things through’ kinda person.”

“I don’t think that’s true at all… You have to think about a lot more than the average citizen.”

“I just… It’s like… These past few years… I haven’t been able to turn to anyone else. And I realize now, it’s because no one else is like you.” Korra breathed in deep. “No one anchors me the way you do, lights up my life the way you have. The past two years, I’ve been wandering along this dark road that I couldn’t see the end of, and each letter you sent me was like a moonbeam lighting up my path.”

The tanned woman sheepishly rubbed the back of her head again. “It’s as if you are the moon, Asami. I mean yeah, I’ve seen some of those movers too, I don’t mean this like, what they mean in those romance reels. But like… Well, waterbenders derive the source of their power from the moon, you know...”

Asami could finally start to connect the dots, gently rubbing Korra’s hand, encouraging her to continue, a blush finding itself onto her face once more.

“You were- You are my moon. I couldn’t have gotten through these past few years without you.” Korra pulled away to smile at the woman before her, tears slowly finding their way out. “You have me strength during that time, when I wasn’t sure of myself, wasn’t sure if I could keep moving forwards.”

Korra took in a deep breath, turning up towards the sky as she exhaled.

“What I’ve been trying to say is…” Korra turned to look straight at Asami, “I love you, Asami Sato and I never want to be without you again.”

Asami released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I- Korra...”

“I’m- I’m actually not sure what comes after-.” The short haired woman suddenly found herself flat on her back, wrapped tightly in a hug, warm lips against hers. Korra felt her eyes close as her own arms wrapped themselves around the warm body on top of her, losing herself in Asami’s kiss.

“T-th-that was…” Korra lay on back as Asami rolled onto her side, “Wow. Okay. I was just expecting maybe a ‘Gee, Korra, I love you too.’ But you know what, I’ll take that.”

“Would you now?” Asami smirked, turning her head to face the blushing Avatar, now her blushing Avatar. “Which would you prefer more?”

“Both. Both is good.” The lopsided grin was back, flanked by blushing cheeks as Asami turned to kiss her again.

“Well… I love you too, Korra. I don’t know the exact moment I fell in love with you, but I have. I’ll be there, right besides you just like you’ll be there for me.”

The two lay on their sides, arms entangled around one another, taking in their moonlit new world.


	2. Moon

“You know, why do you even bother with candles in the office?” Korra poked at the candle, manipulating the flames, as Asami finished up the last of her paperwork.

“Because sometimes it provides a bit of entertainment for any erstwhile cats that wander into my office.” She shot back, a grin tugging at the edge of her mouth. “And I happen to like candlelight, gives a bit of atmosphere to the office.”

“Hmph.” The Avatar flopped onto the couch, pulling a tendril of flame along with her.

“Try not to set my office on fire… Again.” Asami replied dryly, making a mental note fireproof the more important pieces of furniture.

“Hey, I put that out!” Pouting from across the room, Korra wove the fire into an increasingly complex series of shapes. “And you didn’t lose THAT many documents...”

“Korra, you flooded the entire office to drown out the fire you started on my bookcase.”

“But the important thing is I put it out!”

Asami sighed, rubbing her forehead as her Avatar pouted with her trail of flames. She couldn’t blame Korra for being bored though, it was one of the few days Korra was able to rest before she had to hit the road again, being a global diplomat took her away from home most of the year, and despite having a crack team of executives and engineers, too often she had to take design and business decisions into her own hands.

“You know… I wonder how different the world would be if firebenders had to have a source of fire in order to actually bend, kinda like how earthbenders need some kind of earth.” Korra mused, rolling the flame around her wrists into bracelets. “You know, like being forced to carry torches or bonfires everywhere they go.”

“How would they create more fire? Actually nevermind, they could just combust the oxygen in the air couldn’t they? Of course needing a source at all times would have definitely made wars much more difficult to wage...”

“We would have been able to take ‘em out like that!” Korra smacked the flames into an open palm for emphasis, “No way would they have been able to knock out one of the water tribes back in the day if they didn’t have any firepower to back them up.”

“I suppose history would have taken an entirely different course now wouldn’t it? No need to reveal to Aang that he was the Avatar so early on, no need for the Earth kingdom to wall themselves off in Ba Sing Se...” Asami tapped her pen against her chin, thoroughly distracted and disinterested in her previous work.

“Yeah… And I guess they wouldn’t be able to lightningbend would they? Err… Well they could now that we have those new generators you’ve invented, but you know what I mean!” Korra flicked the flames up into the air, bringing them dangerously close to the wooden ceilings, something Asami noted that she would also have fireproofed in the future. “Who knows? Maybe we wouldn’t even have the four nations? Avatar Wan might have succeeded in uniting everyone from the get-go!”

“Maybe…” Setting her pen down, Asami leaned back in her chair, musing to herself. “But if that’s the case...”

“Hmmm?” Korra turned onto her side to face her girlfriend.

“Maybe Avatar Aang wouldn’t have needed to live into this era, if he even still needed to exist at all.”

“Yeah… I guess that’d be a shame, but it’d be all peaceful and harmonious!”

“Perhaps… But...” Asami stood up and moved to sit on the armchair across from Korra, tired of staring at the mountains of paperwork that demanded her attention.

“But…”

“But then you’d reincarnate much too early for me to fall in love with.” Asami smirked at Korra’s flabbergasted expression, priding herself on her knack for rendering the Avatar, master of the four elements, bridge between worlds, speechless.

“I- Uh...”

“Korra…”

“Yeah?”

“Please put out the fire you just started…”


	3. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the late nights and early mornings were worth it.

Sometimes Asami wondered how she could stand the late nights and the early mornings. There were only so many meetings she could take that dealt solely with the bottom line of the company. There were only so many times she could mediate between the different internal engineering organizations jockeying for a bigger slice of funding. Sometimes she just wanted to expel every last one of them from her office. Unfortunately she didn’t have that luxury.

She continued lying in bed, stubbornly refusing to open her eyes and face the new day. Only upon feeling the cool and empty space besides her did she resign herself to untangling herself from the warmth of her sheets. Sitting up on the bed, Asami blinked and blearily rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Pulling back the curtains, she sighed at the dark purple that still tinged the horizon. A tired smile grew on her face as she smelled the fresh coffee Korra had started. Stretching, Asami made her way to their bathroom to freshen up for the day.

Rubbing her face down with a towel, Asami sighed into the sink. Maybe she should take a day off seeing as Korra was finally at home for more than a night. As she mentally went over her schedule trying to figure out what meetings she could delegate, she sighed in defeat. There was just too much design work in the pipeline for her to be able to take a backseat.

As she quickly got dressed, intent on getting to the coffee before it had cooled off, she wondered if she’d make her dinner with Korra tonight. Padding through the hallway outside of her room, she heard Korra’s muffled morning practice through the window. As she crossed the threshold of the kitchen she breathed in the heavenly scent of freshly brewed coffee. She smiled as she saw the clean mug sitting on the countertop besides the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. Not the most balanced of breakfasts, but she could always grab something healthier to compliment it at the office.

A quick check of her watch gave her the peace of mind to slowly savor Korra’s rare home cooking. Nursing the fresh coffee, Asami made her way out of the kitchen, snagging Korra’s forgotten water bottle as she left, towards the side garden that housed their sparring ring. The sound of Korra’s bending grew louder as she wove her way through the living room, the first bands of light from the sunrise filtering in.

Asami leaned against the doorway of the garden that overlooked the small cleared out pavillion where Korra currently was. Even after two years of being together, and five years of knowing Korra before that, she still wasn’t used to how beautiful and focused Korra looked while practicing.

She wondered if it was ever possible to get used to the bending, from the fountains of ice that shot up and out of the ponds dotting the gardens, to the constant reshaping of the stone pavillion that served as their martial arts practice arena. Asami chuckled to herself, wondering what the neighbors thought of the pillars of fire that erupt out into the sky, swirling down in controlled ribbons, settling and dissipating harmlessly around the Avatar. At least Korra kept the airbending restrained to something less than gale-force winds.

Korra slid easily between the forms that she had spent her life mastering. Asami could watch the Avatar dragon dance for days on end without taking an eye off her. A rippling breeze swept through the garden as Korra finished the her last set of airbending exercises, a sheen of sweat glowing in the light of the sunrise.

“Hey.” The Avatar raised a hand in greeting. Asami sometimes wasn’t sure what was more beautiful, the afterglow surrounding Korra or the rising sun in the distance.

“Hey.” The small lopsided smile that emerged on Korra’s face as she took the water bottle sealed the deal for Asami.

“Decided to join me from the sunrise today?” Asami made her way to sit besides the exhausted woman.

“Cleared out a few meetings to sleep in a little.” Korra gratefully accepted the proffered towel.

“Right… Sleep in...” Raising an eyebrow, Korra paced her drinking, wiping away the sweat with the back of her hand. “Well… Let’s enjoy it while we can then.”

Asami scooted closer to the winded Avatar, settling against her side, drinking in their view of the harbor as the sun slowly crested over. Closing her eyes, she let the light warm her skin as Korra wrapped a sweaty arm around her, pulling her close.

“Now I’ll need to get changed again.” She quipped, leaning her head on Korra’s shoulder.

“Drat, and it’s my turn to do the laundry isn’t it?” Korra dropped her head lightly onto Asami’s, heartbeat slowly settling.

“I wish I could stay like this forever…”

“Me too.”

They held their ground for a few moments, drowning out all other thoughts, simply enjoying each other’s company. Asami reluctantly stood up, pulling Korra up with her.

“You need a shower, and I need to change.” Asami laughed as Korra planted a particularly sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I’ll catch you at dinner?”

“It’s a date.” The two made their way back to the bedroom. Asami pulled a fresh shirt out of the closet as Korra ducked into the bathroom to wash off the sweat.

“I’m taking off now!” Asami called out. A muffled affirmative response sounded through the door.

Exiting the bedroom she heard the bathroom door crack open as Korra called out, “I love you!”

“Love you too!” She called back, smiling to herself as the door slammed shut again.

She made her way down to the waiting car. Closing the door, she leaned against the window as the driver pulled into the hustle and bustle of traffic. Maybe the early mornings weren’t so bad after all, she mused.


	4. Footfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sound of coming home.

The first thing the Avatar feels when her beleaguered love comes home is the slight rush of air that escapes as their front door opens. The ever so faint movement of her short hair, fluttering in the wake of the minimal breeze alerts her to the fact that Asami had return home, after another long day of the office.

Next, she feels the thud of Asami’s first boot hit the floor, a plucky reverberation echoing across the tiled entranceway, rocking against the wooden supports, vestigial sensations lapping against the rock Korra was perched on top of. A smile flits across the Avatar’s face as she imagines Asami grumbling with the laces of her stubborn second boot.

A muted thud as Asami dropped into a sitting position. A third thud followed soon after, accompanied by a relieved sigh, nigh inaudible, dancing along the eddies in the air, floating lazily across pockets of a newfound breeze, into her meditation chambers. The door shut, and the air fell still again.

Silence followed as Asami stretched, relieved to just be able to sit even if for a moments, away from her work. Korra sat, senses on edge, waiting, waiting for the next sensation. 

‘Patience’, she thought to herself, futilely attempting to empty herself of anticipation, of her desire to see Asami for the first time all day, ‘She deserves the rest.’

And so she waited, as the air settled around her once more, now with a new rhythm, a new pattern, a second breath accompanying her own. An exhale, then a new breath drawn in, repeating. A clock, somewhere in the apartment, ticked away the time as the tempo of her breathing slowed and quickened, until it matched pace.

A minute passed. Then a second one. The Avatar wondered if she should break her vigil, and go to greet her at the doorway. 

‘Let her be.’ And so she would. And so she did. A breath inhaled, a breath exhaled, a breath inhaled… And suddenly a ripple in the pattern. 

Footfalls echoed on the hardwood floors, lightly bouncing between rooms, as Asami slowly wound her way through their apartment. She passed through the living room where they would laze about, her steps deftly navigating the strewn pai sho tiles that had been knocked over by Pabu earlier in the day. A pause. And a book found its rightful place on its bookshelf once more, the wood creaking with its addition.

The footfalls continued, moving ever closer. A stop, just two rooms down, as Asami pulled a glass from the cabinet, then the faintest clink of glass on marble made audible. And an Avatar continued waiting, with almost uncharacteristic patience as the water shaped itself to its new container. 

She could feel the echoes grow louder, reverberate faster, as Asami drew closer. She inhaled. The scent of a weakened perfume slowly drifted, almost whimsically, around her, settling against her with familiarity. She smiled as the wooden entrance to the room creaked, holding firm against the weight being leaned against it. She breathed out once more, opening her eyes and turning around.

“Welcome home.”


	5. White Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She doesn't need the music, just the sound of the radio.

A satomobile tore silently through the outskirts, red and gold trim flashing under the streetlights. As a light turned yellow, a boot came down gently on the brakes, the vehicle rolling to a stop at the traffic light. Releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Asami turned to the Avatar snoozing in the passenger seat. She wished she could have taken a photo of the sight, the Avatar dozing away, the faintest bit of drool slipping out from the corner of her mouth. Head lolling to the side, a few stray hairs threatened to tickle Korra’s nose and wake her up.

The light turned green, and they were off again, Asami’s attention turned back to the long winding road ahead of them. It wasn’t often that she decided to just go for a drive around the outskirts of the city. Even rarer was Korra being able to join her for the ride. The entrepreneur was surprised when Korra had offered to join her that evening, having just returned from a diplomatic mission in the Earth Kingdom. 

“It’ll be fun, we can catch up while you tear through the streets!” The Avatar had said, with only somewhat muted exuberance.

“Alright, only if you’re up to it though.” Asami had replied, secretly grateful for the company. “I’ve missed you.”

And so they were off, waving aside the chauffeur that had greeted them at the door, telling him to take the night off. New prototypes at Future Industries had been designated street-safe by the engineers and Asami could not wait to hop in one and give the new design a personal rundown. 

“How long has it been since we did this?” Asami remembered calling out just an hour before, as the wind rushed through the convertible.

“No idea! Too long!” Whooping, Korra stood up in her seat, much to Asami’s chagrin. “I missed this!”

Asami had laughed as she yanked Korra back down into her seat, raising the roof back over them. It hadn’t taken long for Korra to fall asleep after that. As excited as she had been to talk and catch up to her girlfriend, she was exhausted and quickly dozed off. She yawned, wondering if it was time to loop back home. Idly playing with the radio, she tuned it to let a soft current of white noise fill the compartment. 

She flicked on her turn signal as they approached the next intersection, slowing and gliding around the corner, careful not to disturb her sleeping Avatar. They took a more conventional route home, cutting through the city rather than winding around the city limits. Occasionally, an announcer could barely be heard through the static, a few strings of a jazz symphony clashing against what sounded like a pro-bending match.

“Nice soundtrack you have going on there.” Asami kept her eyes on the road as Korra stretched and yawned.

“Have a nice nap?” She teased as the tanned woman leaned against the window.

“Any time with you is nice.” Korra smirked as a light blush crept up Asami’s cheeks, “You’d think you’d get used to the compliments by now.”

“Says the one who turns into a tomato everytime I tell her I love her.” Asami tossed back, satisfied at the crimson glow that bloomed on her companion’s face. 

“Well- Well.” Korra leaned back into the seat, changing the subject. “Why do you always put on white noise anyways? I mean, I don’t mind, but I’ve just always wondered.”

“Keeps my head clear.”

“Yeah?” Korra leaned her head back against the window, enjoying the sensation of the cold glass. 

“Yeah… It… It helps me create a nice little mental space where I can just drown out all the distractions I don’t have the energy to think about.” Asami shifted gears sending the car roaring down the near deserted boulevard, no longer worried about waking Korra. “Sorry, did it wake you up?”

“No, I was starting to wake when we passed the bridge a few minutes back.” The short-haired woman yawned again. “Drown stuff out huh? Does that include me?”

“You seem to have a knack for cutting right through it all and getting my attention.” Asami smirked at the woman, “For better or for worse. I’m sure a few of my executives would give a sizable fortune for that talent.”

“What can I say, one of my many talents as the Avatar.” Korra lazed back in her seat as the white noise filled the silence between them again, both lost in thought as they blazed past streetlight after streetlight. Asami deftly slid the car into the parking spot, engaging the parking brake and lowering the sunroof as she killed the engine, radio sputtering to a stop.

“So...” Korra tapped on the door. “What’s the verdict on this sucker?”

“I suppose you’ll have the pleasure of owning your own within a few months.” Asami smirked as she eased out of the car.

“Why would I do that, when I can just have you drive me around everywhere?” Korra laughed as Asami swung around to her side of the car.

“Seeing as the Avatar would like me to drive her everywhere, would the Avatar also like me to carry her to the elevator?” Asami smiled slyly.

“Well, let’s see if you still can, I think I put away a little too much food during this last trip.” Korra replied, yelping as Asami reached into the car and gracefully pulled her out bridal style.

“Looks like I’ve still got it in me.” Asami laughed as the Avatar wrapped her arms around her neck. “Though we’ll see if I can make it to the elevator.”

The two laughed as Asami stumbled over to the nearby elevator to their apartment. Korra sputtering indignantly as Asami unceremoniously dropped her onto the carpeted entranceway. Korra huffed as Asami bent down to kiss her, struggling to hold back a smile. 

“Race you.” Asami breathed into tanned ears now glowing a light crimson, taking off towards the bedroom.

Korra lay there dazed, mind filled with white noise from the kiss, before realizing what was happening. “W-w-wait up!”

A burst of airbending pushed her up and propelled her forwards, a smile blooming across her face as she gave chase.


End file.
